Wardrobe fixture



1 March 3, 1959 w. J. SHOURDS 7 2,875,903

V WARDROBE FIXTURE Filed Jan. 16, 1956 s- Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILBUR J. SHOURDS BY gum/+ 3 March 3, 1959 w. J. SHOURDS WARDROBE FIXTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1956 INVENTOR. WILBUR J. SHOURDS March 3, 1959 w. J. SHOURDS 2,875,903

WARDROBE FIXTURE Filed Jan. 16, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3' FIG. 5

. INVENTOR. WILBUR J. SHOURDS rotate upwardly into space bers fastened to opposite walls of the storage space.

United States Patent WARDROBE FIXTURE Application January 16, 1956, Serial No. 559,326

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-100 This invention relates 'to wardrobes and fixtures for hanging garments therein, and more particularly to a movable, two-position garment hanger rod adapted to adjacent the ceiling of a closet or cabinet which is normally unused because of its in- I accessibility.

Of the scores of devices and fittings now oflered by a number of manufacturers for the professed purpose of increasing the convenience and enlarging the capacity of clothes storage areas, none provides any practical means for substantially increasing the amount of hanging space available within the closet or wardrobe cabinet. In the main, the presently available devices serve only to protect and maintain the shape of garments, and to support or enclose accessory objects of irregular shapes and sizes.

.Manufacturers of bedroom furniture have sought to alleviate: the clothing storage problem by providing more numerous and deeper drawers in chests, dressers and night stands, but upon investigating one is led to the conclusion that because of the increased use of dry cleaning instead of laundering, more hanging space and less drawer space is now required for storing the complete wardrobe of the average adult.

Clothes closets and most built-in wardrobe cabinets are provided with hanging rods disposed at the proper elevation to permit long garments to hang at full length without touching the floor; then, in order to keep the space above the rod from being totally wasted, a shelf is frequently installed over the rod for hat and shoe boxes and other differently dimensioned objects. But, in almost every case, a large cubic area of closet space remains unused because it is too high to be conveniently accessible.

The present invention has been made with the foregoing and other considerations in mind, and can be saidv to have a number of important objects including the following:

'Oneimportant object of this invention is the provision of a device adapted for installation in presently constructed cabinets and closets which will .substantially increase the hanging space for clothes therein.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of a clothes hanging fixture adapted to utilize the normally wasted space near the ceilings of storage areas in which it is installed.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is adapted to be movable into a high position adjacent the ceiling without requiring the operator to move above or leave the normal floor level. I

A still further object of my inventionis to provision of a fixture of the character described which can be suitablyadjusted dimensionally for installation in existing buildings without necessitating any structural alterations therein. v

vIn brief, my invention includes a hanging rod having parallel elbow sections extended at right angles from each of its ends journalled into spaced facing bracket mem- 2,875,903 Patented Mar. 3, 1959 "ice longitudinally extended handle member is movably attached to the rod intermediate of the elbow sections so that it hangs downwardly from the rod in a generally vertical position in space and always within reach of a person standing on the floor even when the rod has been rotated upwardly around and parallel to the axis of the elbow journals to a point adjacent the ceiling by means of upward pressure on the handle. Spring detent members are provided to engage the elbow sections and hold them in the vertical position, disposed between wall brackets and the ends of the rod serve to arrest the downward movement of the rod and support it in coplanar horizontal alignment with the journal axis.

Various other important objects of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment of my invention when read withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a garment rod constructed according to my invention with a portion of the supporting structure broken away to show the method of installation;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through the center of Figure 1 showing the sleeve construction of the rod members;

Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1 showing the fixture in its most downwardly position, and with a portion of the structure broken away;

Figure 4 is a perspective view similar to Figure 3 showing one variation of the invention in which the stationary rod serves as 'a journal member for the rotatable rod and positioning stops are provided in the mounting bracket;

Figure 4-A is an enlargement of a portion of Figure 4, disclosing in greater detail the construction of the stop members indicated in Figure 4;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a unitized cabinet fitted with a fixture constructed according to my invention; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the structure shown in Figure 5 with typical garment hangers positioned on the two rods.

Reference is made to Figure l in which the numeral 10 designates the entire rod assembly which is seen to include an outer sleeve member 11 having longitudinal slots 12 and 13 therein adjacent its opposite ends through which retaining screws 14 and 15 are entered through holes in the tubular section 16.

The tubular section 16 is terminated at each end in right angularly disposed parallel elbow sections 18 and 19 which, in turn, are bent outwardly in opposite directions at 20 and 21 in coaxial alignment with tubular section 16 and are rotatably retained in journal members 22 and 23 of the wall brackets 24 and 25 fixedly attached to the wall sections 28 and 29 of the supporting structure.

It should be noted that a handle member 35 is provided with an attaching strap 36 having a longitudinally extended slot therein and being circularly shaped to fit rotatively around the sleeve 11 with a positioning pin 17 in the slot and fastened to the sleeve 11, whereby to permit rotation of the handle 35 and to prevent longitudinal displacement thereof.

It should be pointed out that the structures indicated schematically in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, are shown merely to establish the manner in which the clothes hanging device of my invention is placed in use in a clothes closet, cabinet, built-in wardrobe, an open alcove or any space that might be selected by a user; and it should be noted that the structural elements as shown in these Figures 14 are not intended to be regarded as a part of and spring loaded chains this invention. In addition to the side walls 28 and 29- previously mentioned, the structural elements shown in the figures include a rearwardly disposed wall 26 and a ceiling 27; These latter elements, in particular, are shown merely to orient the reader, and their relative positioning is irrelevant to the invention.

Returning again to Figure 1, the parallel elbow sections 18 and Here limited in their downward rotation by chain members 30 and 31-attached to the wall 26 by eyebolts 30-w and 31-w and to the elbow sections by eyebolts 30-2 and 31-e. The location of the eyebolts 30w and 31-w may be raised or lowered on the wall 26, or the chain sections 30 and 31 may be shortened or lengthened so as to bring the rod 10 -atany desired height above the floor when the chains 30 and 31 are fully extended as seen in Figure 3.

To arrest the downward movement of the rod 10 and cushion-ithe strain upon the chains and eyebolts when the chains become fully extended, a coil spring is attached to each of the chains in a manner best seen in Figure 2. The spring 32 is attached to the chain 30 at the upper point 37 and the lower point-38 so that a loop of chain 30-s is disposed between the points 37 and 38 when the spring 32 is completely retracted. Butas the rod 10 is lowered beyond thepositionishown in Figure '2, the spring is subject to tension and expands slowly as the rod 10 descends, thereby taking. up the slack in the loop 30-s until the chain is drawn tight as seen at 30-5 in Figure 3.

In the particular embodiment described above and shown in Figures 1, 2 and .3, I have arbitrarily included a second rod 40, having a sleeve member 41 with a slot 42 therein and a positioning screw 43 holding the rod and sleeve in relativelongitudinal position in journal sockets such as 44in the wall bracket 24. However, the rod 40 and its associated members as just described,

is not adapted for anyrelative movement. It is merely a conventional clothes hanger rod and has no direct bearing upon the rotatable rod assembly of my invention.

The variation of my. invention shown in Figure 4, however, incorporates a substantially stationary rod 45, having a sleeve member 46 with a slot 47 therein and a positioning pin 48 securing the rod at a total length adapted to engage spaced journal member such as 49 in wall brackets as at 50. The wall bracket 50 is provided with spring detent fittings 51 and 51h which are adapted to engage the elbow section 58 and hold it in the vertical or the horizontal plane relative to the fixed rod 45.

The fitting 51,,shown vertically disposed onthe wall bracket 50 in Figure 4, is see considerably enlarged in Figure 4-A. It is a strap like member of convolute configuration including an arcuate detent portion 52 and a sharply extended stop portion 53 with a concave indent 59 therebetween dimensioned to tightly receive and retain the tubular elbow section 58. Screw fasteners 54 and 55 hold the detent fitting 51 in the vertical position shown on the bracket 50. The fitting 51- h is identical 1n construction but is attached to the bracket 50 in the horizontal position shown in Figure 4. The balance of the fixture shown in Figure 4, including the sleeve 56 disposed over the rod 57 and the handle member 69 and its means of attachment at61 to the rod sleeve 56 are substantially the same as the details indicated for the first embodiment except that the tension spring 62 is attached by means of a first short chain section to eyebolt 64 in the wall section 65, and a second short chain section 66 to an eyebolt 67 in the elbow section 58. The structural surfaces 65, 68 and 69, are shown for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended to form a part of or to limit the invention in any way. i K

A second variation of my invention is shown in Figures and 6 which show a complete wardrobe cabinet 70 with two sides 71 and 72, a top 73, bottom 74 and back'75, in the'upper portion of which is installed a 4 rotatable hanging rod assembly 76 havingv a handlemember disposed downwardly at 77, and including a fixed rod member 78, all of which are constructed in conformance with my invention as previously set forth herein.

The exact compositions, configurations, constructions, relative positionings, and cooperative relationships of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical, and can be modified substantially within the spirit of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention specifically described and illustrated herein are exemplary only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claims only, with due consideration for the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

1. A garment rod wardrobe fixture comprising: a U- shaped tubular member including a transverse section having parallel elbow sections.extendedright-angularly from the ends thereof; said elbow sections being terminatedin outwardly disposed bearing portions coaxially aligned parallel to said transverse section; a pair of mounting brackets having journal members therein adapted to receive said bearing portions of said elbow sections and having means for attachment to laterally parallel spaced vertical structural side surfaces and in front of a vertical structural rear surface; handle means for rotating said transverse section of said tubular member relative to said bearing portions; pin and slot means in the transverse section and handle means to permit radial rotation and prevent longitudinal displacement thei eof; and supporting means for supporting said transverse section in radially variable coplanar relation to said bearing portions journalled' in said brackets and consisting of; two equal lengths of link chain, each fixedly attachedat one end at laterally spaced locations to said structural rear surfaceand each fixedly attached at their other ends at laterally spaced locations to said elbow sectionsat similar intermediate locations thereon, two normally retracted coil springs each being similarly attached at its opposite ends to spaced links in corresponding ones of said chains, said spaced links attached to the ends of each of said coil springs each being spaced in length a distance equal to the length of the coresponding coil spring when fully extended with the transverse section and said elbow sections all lying in a substantially horizontal plane; said transverse section consisting of; two oppositely disposed axially aligned end sections, a central sleeve member slidably receiving said end sections, and slot and screw means in said sleeve and end sections to adjustably connect them in desired position.

2. A combination wardrobe cabinet unit and garment rod wardrobe fixture, comprising: a main rod member longitudinally extended and terminated at each end in a circumferential bearing surface; a U-shaped rod section including a transverse portion terminating at each end in right angular elbow portions disposed parallel to each other and fixedly attached at their ends spaced from said transverse portion to said main rod member adjacent the spaced bearing surfaces thereof; a pair of bracket members having socketal journal openings therein adapted to receive and rotatably retain said bearing surfaces of said main rod, and being attachable by means of conventional screw fasteners to said two cabinet sides 1 and in front of said cabinet back; handle means pivotally connected to said transverse rod portion to raise or lower said portion; pin and slot means on the transverse portionand handle means to prevent longitudinal displacement thereof; and supporting means for positioning said transverse rod portion in vertical or horizontal coplanar relationship with respect to said main rod and consisting of; two equal lengths of link chain each fixedly attached atone end to said cabinet hack and each attachedatitsother end to saidelbow portions, two normally retracted coil springs being similarly attached at their ends to spaced links in each of said chains, said links being spaced in the lengths of chain by a distance equal to the length of said springs when extended, a plurality of spring detent fittings disposed in vertical and horizontal positions on said Wall brackets, said detent fittings being of convolute strap-like conformation including an arcuate detent portion adjacent one end, a spaced sharply extended stop portion at the other end and a concave indent section therebetween, said indent section being adapted to tightly receive therein the outwardly disposed sides of said elbow portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 589,318 Tabb Aug. 31, 1897 6 Bonsall May 24, Mehler June 8, Torrison Nov. 7, Pardridge Jan. 4, Doering Jan. 13, House Aug. 31, Cicero Aug. 17, Twomey Dec. 26, Culver May 7, Wilson Jan. 31,

FOREIGN PATENTS Italy Aug. 13, 

